Knicks want James, but for now, he and his Cavs own New York

Wednesday

LeBron James might never have an easier night at Madison Square Garden, whether he plays for the Knicks or not.

James scored 26 points before sitting out the fourth quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers quickly took a charged-up New York crowd out of the game in a 119-101 victory Tuesday night.

Delonte West added 16 points and Wally Szczerbiak had 15 for the Cavaliers, who rang up their highest point total of the season and put seven players in double figures, showing they may have more help than ever for James, the NBA's leading scorer.

Fans hoping someday to see James play in New York got to learn how good his team in Cleveland is right now. The Cavaliers turned it into a blowout while James was enjoying his first rest to start the second quarter, and improved the NBA's third-best record to 11-3.

James' first visit to Madison Square Garden this season came just days after the Knicks made a pair of trades that cleared enough salary cap space for a potential run at him in free agency in the summer of 2010.

James started the night by saying he was flattered by the attention but focused on trying to win a title this season with the Cavs.

The Knicks are a team in transition after trading Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford, their two leading scorers, last Friday. Making matters worse, they lost Nate Robinson, who became their leading scorer, after he strained his groin in the second quarter.

WIZARDS 124, WARRIORS 100

WASHINGTON -- Ed Tapscott's coaching debut with Washington was much more successful than Jamal Crawford's playing debut with Golden State.

Coaching his first game of any sort since a spot on the bench in his daughter's youth league in 1993 -- "We won, but she complained about playing time," he said -- Tapscott juggled a few things and guided the Wizards to a blowout, breaking a five-game losing streak and avoiding the worst 12-game start in franchise history.

Crawford had a quiet evening in his first game since being traded by New York on Friday. Despite only one practice with the Warriors, Crawford was placed in the starting lineup by coach Don Nelson and had nine points and seven assists in 29 minutes.

SUNS 99, THUNDER 98

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Matt Barnes hit a 3-pointer from the left wing with 25.7 seconds left to complete Phoenix's fourth-quarter rally and spoil Scott Brooks' home debut as Oklahoma City's head coach.

The Thunder led by as much as 16 in the fourth quarter.

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